Theseus Research, Inc.

Stratus Medical, LLC

Theseus Logic Inc.

Scott A Brandt

Karl M Fant

Robert E Wright

Methods and systems for spinal radio frequency neurotomy. Systems include needles capable of applying RF energy to target volumes within a patient. Such target volumes may contain target medial branch nerves along vertebrae or rami proximate the sacrum. Such procedures may be used to ablate or cauterize a portion of the targeted nerve, thus blocking the ability of the nerve to transmit signals to the central nervous system. Disclosed needles may be operable to asymmetrically, relative to a central longitudinal axis of the needle, apply RF energy. Such asymmetry facilitates procedures where a tip of the needle is placed proximate to anatomical structures for location verification. Then RF energy may be applied in a selectable direction relative to the needle tip to ablate volumes that include the targeted medial branch nerves or rami, thus denervating facet joints or the sacroiliac joint, respectively, to relieve pain in a patient.

Methods and systems for spinal radio frequency neurotomy

Apparatus for radiofrequency neurotomy are disclosed. Needles with deployable filaments capable of producing lesions at target volumes, which include a target nerve, and systems including such needles are disclosed. Ablation of at least a portion of the target nerve may inhibit the ability of the nerve to transmit signals, such as pain signals, to the central nervous system. The lesion may facilitate procedures by directing energy towards the target nerve and away from collateral structures. Example anatomical structures include lumbar, thoracic, and cervical medial branch nerves and rami and the sacroiliac joint.

Needles and systems for radiofrequency neurotomy

Methods for radio frequency neurotomy

Systems and methods for tissue ablation. Systems include needles with deployable filaments capable of producing asymmetrical offset lesions at target volumes, which may include a target nerve. Ablation of at least a portion of the target nerve may inhibit the ability of the nerve to transmit signals, such as pain signals, to the central nervous system. The offset lesion may facilitate procedures by directing energy towards the target nerve and away from collateral structures. Example anatomical structures include lumbar, thoracic, and cervical medial branch nerves and rami and the sacroiliac joint.

Systems and methods for tissue ablation

A switching element and method for asynchronous logic switches an output signal according to a switching-logic relationship between or among input signals. Input signals may assume at least a DATA value, a NULL value, and an INTERMEDIATE value. Input signals may also assume multiple DATA values. The element and method generates an output which assumes a NULL value when all input signals are NULL, and assumes DATA and INTERMEDIATE values in accordance with transform rules. Output signals may also assume an INTERMEDIATE value. DATA, NULL and INTERMEDIATE values may be encoded on to a number of signal lines. Transform rules may be threshold switching rules, where the output switches to a DATA output when a number of DATA inputs is greater than a threshold.

Asynchronous logic with intermediate value between data and null values

A NULL convention logic element comprises an input, an output and a threshold switching circuit. The input receives NULL convention signals that are encoded onto a plurality of physical input signal lines that can assume at least a first meaningful signal state indicating data, a NULL signal state which has no logic meaning and third signal state distinct from the first and second signal states. The output produces output NULL convention signals that are encoded onto a plurality of physical input signal lines that can assume at least a first meaningful signal state indicating data, a NULL signal state which has no logic meaning and third signal state distinct from the first and second signal states. The threshold switching circuit triggers changes of the output signal state to NULL in response to the states of all the input signals becoming NULL. The threshold switching circuit triggers changes of the output signal state to the meaningful state when the number of the input signals in the meaningful state exceeds a threshold number. The threshold switching circuit triggers changes of the output signal state to the third state when (i) fewer than all input signals are in the NULL state, and (ii) fewer than the threshold number of input signals are in the meaningful state.

Null convention logic system

A method and system for process expression and resolution is described. A first language structure comprising a possibility expression having at least one definition which is inherently and generally concurrent is provided. Further, a second language structure comprising an actuality expression including a fully formed input data name to be resolved is provided. Furthermore, a third language structure comprising an active expression initially having at least one invocation, the invocation comprising an association with a particular definition and the fully formed input data name of the actuality expression is provided. Subsequently, the process of resolving invocations begins in the active expression with fully formed input data names in relation to their associated definition to produce at least one or both of the following: (1) an invocation with a fully formed input data name and (2) a result data name.

Method and system for process expression and resolution

A Null convention logic system for processing NULL convention signals is comprised of interconnected processing elements. NULL convention signals can assume at least a first meaningful value indicating data and a NULL value which has no data significance. Processing elements receive a plurality of NULL convention signals and produce a meaningful output data value when the number of meaningful input data values exceeds a threshold number. The gates assert a NULL output when all inputs are in the NULL state. Processing elements exhibit hysteresis such that, as the number of meaningful input values falls below the threshold number, the element holds a meaningful output value (or a non-data non-NULL value) until all inputs are in the NULL state. The threshold number may be less than the total number of inputs. Groups of elements may be interconnected, and thresholds selected, to perform logic and other processing functions asynchronously on meaningful signal values.

NULL convention logic system

A method and system for process expression and resolution including a general method of direct association is described. A first language structure including a named result reference which is a destination for a result string for a directly associated correspondingly named resultant is provided. In addition, a second language structure including a result link is provided. A first end of the result link is located within a formal list of a definition. A second end of the result link is directly associated by list position and is located within an actual list of an invocation. A third language structure including the resultant is provided. The resultant is associated with one or more language elements, including: the correspondingly named result reference and/or the correspondingly named result link. A resolution mechanism replaces the named result reference associated with the correspondingly named resultant with the resultant result string such that a language expression is resolved.

Method and system for process expression and resolution including a

A logic system, which is capable of logical expression comprising processing members interconnected by transmission elements, wherein the processing member resolves at least two or more input allowed values to one result allowed value, allowed values including one or more data values and one or more non-data values, at least one non-data value being a null value, the processing member changing its result value to a data value only when all of its presented input values are valid and changing its result value to a NULL value only when all of its presented input values are NULL values.

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Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Scott A Brandt